This paper examines the 2022 Australian federal election coverage on WeChat for Australian audiences. We analyzed 3,462 public articles collected during May 2021 to May 2022 from 135 WeChat news services called WeChat Official Accounts (with 99 remaining active by the time of analysis). We found that diasporic Chinese media accounts had a more prominent role in shaping online discourses compared to China-based media accounts, Australia-based business accounts, or Australian politicians’ accounts. In reporting the 2022 Australian federal election, COVID-19 policies, the economy, immigration, and international relations with particular regard to Australia-China relations, were common themes. Our findings reveal the formation of a “translational news ecology” that bridges diasporic media to Australia’s English-speaking, mainstream public sphere which is primarily shaped by Australian national media and politicians. Notably, for future regulation of election media, we witness domestic political actors featuring paid advertisements or direct contributions on influential news service accounts including instances of misinformation sitting in a lacuna of active regulation from both Australian and Chinese states in managing platform content and labor in this space.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Yang et al. (2024) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: